Nearly 200 years after Jane Austen‘s untimely death, crime novelist Lindsay Ashford has come up with a new explanation: arsenic poisoning.

Austen, the English author of such classic novels as “Pride and Prejudice” and “Sense and Sensibility,” died in 1817 at age 41. Her death has been attributed to everything from cancer to Addison’s disease.

But Ashford, who moved to Austen’s village of Chawton three years ago and started writing her new crime novel in the former home of Austen’s brother, stumbled across another possibility — that Austen died of arsenic poisoning.

While reading Austen’s correspondence, Ashford came across a line the novelist wrote just a few months before she died: “I am considerably better now and am recovering my looks a little, which have been bad enough, black and white and every wrong colour.”...

I'll read the book when it comes out. I'm curious as to who would want to kill Jane Austin.

11-15-2011, 06:30 PM

bijou

Quote:

Originally Posted by noonwitch

I'll read the book when it comes out. I'm curious as to who would want to kill Jane Austin.

So am I, I'm surprised she had enemies at the time. Now though I guess you could find any number of reluctant English literature students harbouring murderous thoughts.

11-16-2011, 11:34 AM

newshutr

All hype to sell a book.

11-16-2011, 12:42 PM

Starbuck

I can't think of very many famous people who died early and did not spawn a conspiracy theory in their wake (yuk, yuk).

Even Merriweather Lewis (Louis & Clark expedition) who committed suicide in full few of several people, has conspiracy buffs.
Mozart.
JFK:D

You name 'em.

11-16-2011, 04:21 PM

linda22003

Does the book say it was murder? There have been many accidental ways of taking in arsenic, as through paint pigments. Prior to the 19th century, many women used an arsenic based mixture as makeup of sorts, to whiten their skin.

11-16-2011, 04:25 PM

Arroyo_Doble

After reading Pride and Prejudice, I can understand why.

11-16-2011, 04:53 PM

bijou

Quote:

Originally Posted by linda22003

Does the book say it was murder? There have been many accidental ways of taking in arsenic, as through paint pigments. Prior to the 19th century, many women used an arsenic based mixture as makeup of sorts, to whiten their skin.

The author does seem to be pushing the murder theory but, looking at the advance reports, on fairly thin grounds.